


Right Beside You

by peachysmiles



Category: Overwatch (Video Game)
Genre: Angst, F/M, Forgiveness, Hurt/Comfort, Revenge, Romance, Self-Hatred, Slow Burn
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-03-28
Updated: 2018-04-17
Packaged: 2018-10-12 06:53:45
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 5
Words: 5,419
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10484937
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/peachysmiles/pseuds/peachysmiles
Summary: After being left for dead by his older brother , Hanzo, Genji is found by Overwatch and they give him an offer which he just can't refuse. Genji is now given the power to strike back at his brother, but in the end, would it make him happy?





	1. Introduction

**Author's Note:**

> This is just a short prologue. If you don't like poetry you can skip this part

_The smell. Oh god, the smell_

_Of my own dead flesh._

_The feeling of abandonment_

_Of betrayal_

_And of hatred burned inside me_

_When you play with fire you get burned_

_But when you dance with it you are incinerated_

_A sensation unlike any other_

_Crisis struck and I am now alone_

_Paralyzed by the flames’ siren beauty_

_With a bright shadow cast over me_

_Wings armed with a staff of gold_

_I think… I think I saw an angel_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I wanted to write a gency fanfic for so long and now here it is. I want to prove to people that gency doesn't have to follow traditional and cliched florence nightingale effect; it can be a well developed relationship with its ups and downs.


	2. Speedy Recovery

The first things that came to life were my fingers. I wiggled them around and felt something soft and cotton like under them. I figured that it was a blanket. I also felt a particular tightness around my hands, almost like bandages. Next were my toes. I felt the same bed of cotton and the uncomfortable tightness around my feet. At last, my eyes were opened and I could finally see the world around me. Above me was a white ceiling. I squinted at the sight of bright lights. I could not turn my head to get a better view of where I was, but out of the corner of my eyes, I could see a door. My best guess was to say that I was in some type of medical clinic.

My mind replayed the last moments between me and my brother. I looked for signs, any signs that would lead to his outburst, but my memories don't recall any faults made by me. I tried really hard to make up excuses that would explain his violent confrontation with me, but with me lying in bed in what looked like a hospital, that was all I can think about right now.

My eyes darted towards the door as I heard two distinct voices, both male. One was gruff and the other was a lot more mellow and calm. Their voices mixed together in an argument and I could not make out what they were saying.

After what seemed like an eternity the two revealed their bodies as the entered the room I was in, still arguing. The soft voice belonged to a man in green scrubs. I concluded that he was some type of nurse. The rough voice belonged to the older and taller man of the two. He had blonde hair but the roots were graying. He wore armor with a long dark blue coat. What was this guy doing here?

The two men stopped arguing and turned to me once they realized that I was awake. The nurse spoke first. "Good afternoon, Mr. Shimada. We are glad that you have finally awakened." I opened my mouth to speak.

"Whe--," my voice sounded raspy and horrible. "Where am I?"

"You are at Redwood Hospital," said the nurse. "In the Overwatch headquarters in Switzerland." My eyes widened at the mention of Overwatch.

"What? Overwatch? What do they want with me?"

"Calm down Genji," the man in the blue paced around the room. "We are not here to get you in any type of trouble."

"We just want to help you," said the nurse.

I narrowed my eyes at them and scoffed, "I don't even know who you two are". The two men came closer to my bed and kneeled down so I can clearly see them. The man in the blue started to speak.

"I am Commander Jack Morrison of Overwatch and the man next to me is your nurse Marvin Erdmann," Morrison spoke in a professional and calm voice. I almost wanted to trust him.

"Like we said before," Morrison continued. "We want to help you but we are hoping you can do the same for us."

"How could I possibly help you?" I said. Morrison's voice took a more stern route but stayed calm.

"We know that you were part of the Shimada Clan and we know what they've done to you. We will rebuild your body and give you a chance to strike back at the ones who hurt you the most." I was angry. It wasn't because of my physical state; I already saw that coming. And it was not because he was asking me to take down my own family legacy. I was angry because I wanted to do it. I was ashamed that I wanted every last one of them to suffer. I wanted them to feel the pain I felt. I wanted to look my brother in eye as I watched slowly shrivel to a husk. That thought frightened me most of all.

"How badly beaten up am I?" I decided to change the subject for the time being.

"Well," said the nurse hesitantly. "You suffer from third degree burns all over your body and some other untreatable critical wounds."

Great, I'm going to need a full body prosthetic

"You know," the nurse continued to speak. "If it weren't for Dr. Ziegler--"

"Stop that," Morrison interrupted. "She hates being put up on pedestals."

Dr. Ziegler? Who were they?

"Sorry, sir," the nurse said with his head down, clearly embarrassed.

"So, Genji, what do you say? Will you help us bring down the clan?" Morrison asked again.

I had two choices but I felt as if both answers were wrong. Should I kill the people I used to call family or let them get away with what they've done to me?

No, don't let them get away with this. I need to be stronger than that. In a world this cruel, no one grants mercy. Especially the Shimada Clan. They took children from parents, wives from husbands, and now they turn against one of their own. It is time for the Shimada Clan to come to an end.

"Yes," I said. "I will help you."


	3. From the Shadows

After my meeting with Morrison and Nurse Erdmann, I was visited by many doctors and surgeons for the next week. The doctors had me recall the events that led to my disfigurement. I never actually told them specifically who did this to me. I lied and said that I didn't get a good look at the assassin. I don't know why I was trying to protect him. I hated that bastard with every fiber of my soul. It was probably just "sentimental crap" as my uncle would put it. I would grow out of it The surgeons explained to me how the surgery procedure would work. I was to be given a full cybernetic enhancement by next week. Apparently, once they are finished tinkering with me I'll have more in common with an omnic than a human. I wasn't sure if I was comfortable with that but I did not let the thought bother me. I could not let hesitation distract from my mission.

The sound of footsteps nearing my room pulled me from my thoughts. I prepared myself for some more boring chit-chat with doctors. I guess I saw the importance of this. They wanted to make sure I didn't have any questions or second thoughts about the procedure.

The person who walked in was my nurse, Mr. Erdmann.

"Ah, Genji," he said. "May I call you Genji?" I wanted to say "no" but I nodded anyway. "We've just received your lab results. You are in perfect condition to undergo the procedure, so much so that they are moving the surgery to tomorrow."

"They must be desperate," I said.

"It's not just that," he said. "We can only keep you on life support for so long." The room got quiet and I wasn't sure how to respond to what Erdmann said. The only reason I was alive was that of a freaking machine. He gave me a smile and decided to change the subject. "The Shimada clan has driven everyone here crazy, especially since they've gone international. Taking them down is our top priority." Nurse Erdmann sat by my side and put a hand on my shoulder. I tried to squirm away put due to my current condition, that wasn't possible. "This is why we are lucky to have you, Genji. You will give us the advantage we need." I shifted uncomfortably in my bed.

"I'm glad you feel that way," I said after a long pause.

Nurse Erdmann let go of my shoulder to my relief and went to go rummage in the closet in front of me. I guess busying himself with some work distracted him from the awkwardness.

A few minutes later another man came into the room. He was tall and had tan skin. He had a short black beard and his head was covered by a knit cap. He wore a uniform of all black. Nurse Erdmann looked up from the closet to the man standing in the doorway. The man motioned for him to leave and Erdmann did just that. After he left, the man closed the door behind him and made his way to the center of the room and began talking without looking at me.

"Do you know who I am, Genji?" he said. His words made me shiver.

"No. Am I supposed to?" I said. My eyes followed him as he started to pace throughout the room.

"Well, yes and no." He stopped pacing and sat at the edge of the bed to look at me. "My name is Gabriel Reyes. I am the commander of a division in Overwatch called Blackwatch. Has anyone told you about us?" I shook my head. He sighed and rubbed his face with his hands. "Figures," he mumbled. "We are the covert ops division of Overwatch. Primarily, we will be the ones to handle the dismantlement of the Shimada Clan."

"Why are you telling me this?" I asked. He got up from my bed.

"Because you will be joining the Blackwatch division."

"I thought I was joining Overwatch."

"You _are_ joining Overwatch."

"I don't think I like the way you are talking to me."

"Then get used to it because I'm gonna be your boss."

Unlike the patronizing tone of doctors and surgeons that had visited me, Reyes had spoken to me in a way that I actually deserved: cold and harsh. As much as they tried to make me believe, I wasn't some innocent victim. I was a pawn who outgrew his usefulness to the Shimada Clan if there was any, to begin with.

"Well, Reyes, I look forward to working with you."

###

It was the day of the surgery and I couldn't help but be apprehensive. I mean, my whole life was going to change after this. Granted, I've already gone through a major change with being ousted from the Shimada Clan, but this one was different. I was going to have a new body, a new look. I was going to be half-machine.

Nurse Erdmann was outside of my room talking to someone about the operation. Apparently, Dr. Ziegler will oversee the surgery but refused to operate on me. I keep hearing about this Ziegler character and how they saved my life but they never took the time to meet with me. According to some of the doctors, Ziegler would enter my room non-stop to check up on me and take vitals while I was in a comatose state. It was the job of the nurses to do this but Dr. Ziegler insisted to do it themselves.

Nurse Erdmann and the person he was talking to finally entered the room. It was a woman, probably a nurse as well. They both walked to opposite sides of the bed and began to unlock the wheels of the bed so it could move. "Are we going to the operating room?" I asked.

"Yes, Genji," said Erdmann. "It is time for your surgery. Aren't you excited?" He smiled at me as he and the other nurse moved my bed out of the room and into the hospital corridor.

"Um, I guess," I said. "Will I finally meet Dr. Ziegler?"

"Well," the female nurse started. "You'll probably be under anesthetic by the time she enters the operating room."

"Okay."

"Don't worry, you can meet her once the surgery is done."

We arrived at the operating room about a minute later and were greeted by a party of surgeons. My heart was pounding and my eyes were darting around the room to focus on something but the only things I saw were the supposedly reassuring smiles of the surgeons.

Erdmann and the female nurse had left my side and I didn't even notice. Not that it mattered to me.

One of the surgeons told me to open my mouth and I cooperated. They place a gray tube inside my mouth. Another one of the surgeons fiddled around with my IV until he found what he was looking for. "Okay, Genji," he said. "You're going to feel a bit woozy." And he was right. He was right...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay I know it has been a while since I updated, but this time I'm going to try to work on chapters during my school's writing club.


	4. Pardon Me

"Genji? Genji? Can you hear me?" a familiar voice asked.

"Y-yes," I answered with a murmur. I let a confused huff after hearing my own voice. It sounded slightly robotic.

"Are you experiencing any pain?"

My head throbbed but I just answered with a "no".

"Try standing up," the voice suggested. It was then I realized that I had not even opened my eyes yet. I started slowly and then shot them open. The colors I saw were more vibrant than ever before. Every single detail I could see with one glance. I was looking at and studying the people in front of me. It was Erdmann, Reyes, and Morrison. They never looked more clear.

"You three," I started. "You look so, so--"

"It's the vision enhancement. One of the many upgrades from the surgery," said Reyes.

"Right," I said.

"Come on, Genji," said Erdmann. "Try standing. We got you." He and Morrison held onto me on each side to keep me balanced while Reyes stood at the side watching. I caught a glimpse of my left and right arms. My left arm was bare and heavily scared and my right arm was fully mechanical! I just stood there studying my right arm, forgetting about the three other men in the room. I looked in the mirror to my right and took in everything I saw with a deep breath. Both of my legs were fully mechanical. Wires and cables stuck out and looped back into my body. My body was made up of the colors red and black with silvery metal. The only visible traces of skin were on my chest, right arm, and face, all of which were scared.

I looked away from the mirror to the faces of the men before me. All of them had the look of pity. I hated it. I shook my head. "It's fine, _I'm_ fine," I said curtly. "If this is what it takes to take down the Shimada Clan, then so be it". After what felt like an eternity in awkward silence, Reyes cleared his throat and began to speak.

"You'll begin training in a few days. While I have no doubt that your fighting skills are exceptional, you will still need help getting used to your new body. Later today you will be meeting with a psychiatric team who will evaluate your mental health and assign you a psychologist to work with you one on one." Reyes made a short pause and continued. "You will also be meeting privately with Dr. Ziegler on a weekly basis who will be your physiotherapist. You will report any abnormalities and issues you have with your new body to her. Did you get all that?"

"Yes," I said.

"Good," said Reyes. "Now if you'll follow me I'll lead you to the Blackwatch division."

I followed Reyes out of the room with Morrison and Erdmann and I was immediately overwhelmed by the number of stares given to me by doctors and patients alike. I tried to ignore them but I could feel a glare settling on my face. Seemingly, Erdmann noticed it, too, and asked if I was "okay".

"I'm fine," I said a little too quickly. Morrison turned to Reyes. Apparently, I also gained hearing advancements because I could even hear the words he whispered to Reyes.

"Looks like you got another firebrand in your hands, Gabe," Morrison said with a chuckle. Reyes just grunted in response. I didn't even react to that because he wasn't wrong.

###

After traveling out of the clinic and through the rest of the Overwatch base, I was led to a long corridor. At the end was a door with a number keypad. Reyes quickly punched in some numbers and a small camera stuck out. He met the tiny camera at eye level and it scanned his retina and I heard the door unlock and open. We stepped through the doorway and the door closed behind us. Reyes finally turned around and said, "Welcome to Blackwatch".

I looked around the division. It wasn't that different than the rest of the Overwatch headquarters in that it had the same tech and equipment. Though, there were some subtle differences. The color scheme was darker and people walked around in black and red uniforms as opposed to blue and white. There were very few windows and they were tinted dark. I assumed you couldn't look in from the outside.

"Morrison, Erdmann," said Reyes. "I enjoyed your company, but it's time for you to go." He gestured towards the door with his head and they turned to leave. Morrison gave a mock salute to Reyes and Erdmann waved at me.

"Goodbye, Genji!" said Erdmann.

"Yeah, take care," said Morrison. I gave them a polite nod. We watch the two leave the division and when they were gone Reyes turned to me.

"Let me show you to your quarters," he said.

On our way to my quarters, Reyes droned on and on about rules, protocol, and what he expected from me. I tried to listen, I really did, but I had far too many things to worry about.

"Here we are," he said. "Go on and open it up." He gestured to the door. I opened the door. It was a medium sized room with two beds two desks, and two dressers mirroring each other. In the middle of the room was a mirror on the wall. One side of the room was clean, untouched, while the other was disheveled and decorated with posters, magazines, and various other personal items. "Heh," said Reyes. "Looks like your roommate stepped out for a bit. Remind me to get on him to keep his room tidy."

"I don't want a roommate," I said with an annoyed tone. Reyes smirked.

"Well sorry, princess, but we feel that it would be better to build connections with some of your teammates, and what better way to do that than to force you into social confrontations?"

"Thanks."

"Anytime." Reyes turned on his heel and left me standing in the doorway. After I saw his figure disappear down a flight of stairs, I sighed, entered my room, and closed the door behind me. I flicked a switch on the wall to see the room more clearly. I decided to snoop around on my roommate's side. Nothing too personal would be out in the open for me to see, so I'd say that me being a little nosy wouldn't hurt anyone.

I picked up a small stack of magazines and skimmed through them. I saw weapons catalog after weapons catalog until I found something that could pique my interest. It was an adult magazine. I flipped through some pages and put it down with a chuckle. Maybe this roommate and I could get along.

I moved some papers around the desk, mostly mission statements and other things that did not interest me. I moved another paper to the side and it revealed a carving on the desk. It read "MCCREE" in all caps. I let out another chuckle and crossed my arms. How big is this person's ego if they feel that they must brand their desk with their name? I walked away from my roommate's stuff and laid on my bed with my back turned away from the rest of the room. I thought about Overwatch, about what they would do after the Shimada Clan was gone. Would they still want me? I owe my life to them, I'm not sure what I would if they decided that I was of no use anymore. I don't think I could handle being ousted from those who I'm supposed to trust, again.

I fell asleep for like an hour or two and woke up to the sound of footsteps nearing my room. I looked up from my bed and saw a shadow stop at the door. I heard muffled whistling. That was either Reyes or my roommate. I laid my head back down and braced myself for inevitable conversation. The door opened and the whistling continued. I heard the person walk in and set some things on their desk. They rummaged around there for a while, never stopping their whistling. I put a pillow to my ears. I could sense their eyes on my back, studying my figure, all while their whistling never faltered. "Are you almost done?" I said, not even turning to face him. He chuckled and finally stopped his tune.

"You must be Genji, howdy!" I turned to look at them. The voice belonged to man around my age. He had brown hair and a beard and goatee. He was leaning on his desk with his arms crossed. He had a smirk on his face and he tipped his black cowboy hat to me. A cowboy hat? Seriously?

"And You must be McCree," I said. He rolled his eyes.

"Don't be like that." He walked closer towards me. "We're family now. You can call me Jesse."

"Jesse?"

"That's my name, don't wear it out." He walked back to his desk to pick up a bottle and took a swig from it.

"Yeah, I'll stick to McCree." He stopped drinking and stared at me for a while. Not in the way the doctors would, not in awe or in amazement. He was trying to read me. It made me uncomfortable. "What?"

"Nothin'." He laughed to himself. I didn't ask why. "How about you and me go to the lounge later."

"The lounge?"

"Yeah, we can play pool, cards, anything you want." He took another sip of his drink. I narrowed my eyes at him.

"Why are you being so nice to me?" McCree put down his drink.

"Because." He was growing impatient. "We're gonna be living together and I don't want to have a crappy relationship with you like my last bitch of a roommate." I seemed to have upset him. I kind of felt guilty.

"Well, I would like to get to know you better but I'm scheduled for--." There was a knock at the door. "That must be them now."

"Come in," said McCree. The door was barely opened when a woman peeked her head through. She looked at McCree then me.

"Genji?" she said. "It's time for your evaluation." She smiled at me.

"Go on, Genji," McCree said. "I'll be here." I got up and followed the woman out of the room. I looked back and saw McCree pick up his bottle and raise it to me. I just shook my head and closed the door behind me.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know, I know. It's been a while. I've been having some difficulties in school but it's all sorted out now. I'll try to update more often, but, being me, I'll take forever to write a chapter because I want everything to be perfect. Please share your thoughts and criticisms below!


	5. Where Does it Hurt?

The woman led me to a room labeled "Conference Room". She opened the door and motioned for me to enter. The room's space was taken up by an oval table and most of its chairs were occupied by men and women dressed in lab coats. I looked behind me and saw that the woman who led me here had disappeared.

"Take a seat, Genji," said one of the male doctors. I sat down at the end of the table, far enough so I wasn't sitting next to anyone, but close enough that I could still be part of the discussion. "I'm Dr. Solomon, this is Dr. Okorie, Dr. Kader, Doc--." I tuned out the rest of the introduction. I only needed to know them for the time being.

"We are going to ask you a few questions, Genji, just to see how you are doing," said Dr. Solomon.

"Okay," I answered. The doctor shuffled through some of his papers before speaking to me again.

"You said you were attacked by a member of the Shimada Clan, right?"

"Right."

"How did you know it was them?"

"Because, um," my mind searched for an answer that did not exist. "They... had the Shimada insignia tattooed on their arm."

"Where on their arm?"

"The shoul--no--the wrist." I squeezed my sweaty palms. Dr. Solomon eyed me carefully.

"We can stop if this is too stressful for--"

"No!" My quick reply and elevated voice made some of the doctors jump. "I mean, no, I'm fine. We can continue." Dr. Solomon took a breath and wrote on the papers in front of him.

"Alright," he pulled out another sheet of paper. "We looked into your family's recent events. Apparently, Sojiro Shimada, your father, died last year. Is that true?" I fiddled with my fingers at the mention of my father's name. I answered with a small voice.

"Yes."

"I am sorry to hear that, Genji. About the attacker, did you recognize anything about them? Voice? Appearance?"

"No, nothing at all." I wasn't lying. It _was_ hard to recognize him.

"Genji," one of the other doctors, Dr. Kader, spoke up. "We understand that Sojiro had two children, another son named Hanzo--" I stopped listening. I felt my stomach drop at the sound of his name. Anxiety overtook me. My breath quickened. I was sweating. My eyes were wide. My hands were balled into fists. Everything in my body screamed for me to just tell them the truth, but I kept resisting. There was no way in hell that I could hide this reaction from them.

"Genji? Genji?" It was Dr. Solomon. "Are you alright?" I forced a nod.

"I'm fine." My voice was still small.

"What happened between you and your brother, Genji?" Dr. Kader asked. My brother? _My brother_...

"Nothing happened," I confirmed my lie with a shake of the head. "Yeah, nothing happened. We weren't very close. My only regret is not establishing a stable relationship with him. Maybe he could have prevented this." I relaxed my body and slowed my breathing to a normal rate.

"Your brother did not have anything to do with your attack?"

"No."

After that, they continued to ask to get a feel for my well-being. It felt like an eternity but the questions did eventually cease.

"Thank for meeting with us Genji," said Dr. Solomon. "Dr. Kader will be your personal psychiatrist who you will meet with you twice a week." I looked across the table to Dr. Kader. He smiled at me and gave me a small wave of the hand.

"If you need to meet with me at any time, just ask," said Dr. Kader.

"Thank you," I said. Dr. Solomon soon resumed.

"You're supposed to be meeting with Dr. Ziegler for a physical examination, so if you'll follow me..." he got up from his seat and I followed suit. The other doctors filed out of the room. Once it was just me and Dr. Solomon left, he led me out of the conference room and down the hallway.

###

We ended up in front of a door labeled "Room 2A". Dr. Solomon opened up the door and we were greeted by a typical examination room. In the far left corner, there was a desk. It was occupied. A blonde typed away at a keyboard on the desk, pausing occasionally to handwrite something down in a notepad beside her. I looked at Dr. Solomon, waiting for him to make the first move. He led me into the room and cleared his throat. "Dr. Ziegler."

The woman turned around in her chair to look at us. "Dr. Solomon," she said in polite acknowledgment. She stood up from her chair and walked towards us for a proper greeting. She smiled at me. "You must be Genji Shimada. I'm Dr. Ziegler." she raised her hand and I accepted it with mine. I looked her up and down. Her fair hair was pulled into a low ponytail and she had bright blue eyes. She was about the same height and age as me. Based on those brief descriptions given to me by doctors and nurses alike, Dr. Ziegler was not who I had imagined. She was young and, I wanted to assume, inexperienced? This was the paragon Overwatch doctors?

"I'll be heading back to the main division," said Dr. Solomon, breaking through my thoughts."You two, take care." With the other doctor gone, Ziegler pointed to the examination table and asked for me to sit down. I propped myself up on the examination and waited for the doctor's orders. She grabbed the notepad and a pen from her desk and rolled the desk chair over to me. She sat down and began talking.

"How are you feeling, Mr. Shimada? Any pain or abnormalities?"

"Um, well, I do feel some discomfort with my right...side..." I wasn't sure how to refer to my new arm. Ziegler scribbled something done in her notebook and resumed eye contact with me.

"Please describe it."

"My right arm-- my real arm-- I can feel it and it hurts. It started out as tingling but now it's burning. It doesn't make sense. Isn't it gone? My arm?" Ziegler gave me a sympathetic look and scooted forward in her chair to come closer to me.

"I'm sure that you are experiencing phantom pain," she said. "It is a very common phenomenon among amputees. Don't worry, with time and proper treatment, the sensation will only get weaker." She paused for a second. "Are you alright?" I laughed nervously.

"Didn't I just answer that?"

"No-- no I meant how are you doing? Everything that has happened must have been pretty jarring to you. How are you handling all this?" I genuinely did think about answering the question but ultimately decided to dodge it.

"I feel like that's a question my psychiatrist should be asking."

" _Genji_ , _Genji_ \-- may I call you Genji?" What's the point in asking? I nodded my head and she continued. "I may not be a psychotherapist but I am still your doctor, nonetheless. My job is to make sure you are getting the proper treatment you need, whether that is emotional or physical treatment. I care about all my patients and their well-being." Ziegler gave me a smile.

She jotted down a few things on her notepad before getting up from her chair and kicking it to her desk. "I need to run some simple tests, like a physical exam, if you will," she said. She played around with me for a bit, twisting my limbs in different ways to see if I'd do this or that. She did find one rather small abnormality: my left big toe showed some resistance when Ziegler tried to bend it. She said it was not major but definitely something we should "look out for". Next, she placed a tray on the table next to me. She grabs a pair of purple gloves and begins talking again. "I'm going to do some blood work if that is fine with you," she said. I gave a grunt of approval.

She walks over to me with an elastic band that she ties onto my left arm. "Make a fist, please," she said gently but firmly. I complied and watched her feel my arm until she found what she was looking for. She picked up a needle and tube from the tray beside us and I soon felt a pinching sensation on my skin. I watched the blood flow from me and into the needle, filling up the test tube with red fluid.

I was also watching Ziegler the entire time. I noticed the way she tightened and loosened the band to my comfort. I saw the patience she had when she flicked my arm around for the perfect vein. I studied the way her brows furrowed in concentration when my blood filled the tubes. Any doubts of creditability I had of Ziegler were pacified by this simple procedure. She was a doctor.

I may have been reading too deep into this but I'd like to think that, despite all that happened, I still had my skill for reading people.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh my god I hate this chapter because it took me so long to finish and even after all that time I still don't like it. It doesn't feel right. Anyways, I have so many side stories I want to tell but I have to establish characters and relationships first before I make any spin-off fanfics. I love writing but I also hate it if that makes any sense. Please comment on any mistakes. Til the next update!


End file.
